Theodore Eisen

Theodore Eisen (July 10, 1852 - March 14, 1924) was an American architect. He designed many houses in Los Angeles, California.

Theodore Eisen
BornJuly 10, 1852
Cincinnati, U.S.
DiedMarch 14, 1924 (aged 81)
Los Angeles, U.S.
OccupationArchitect
Spouse(s)Annie Bennett
ChildrenPercy A. Eisen
Edward George Eisen
Parent(s)Augustus Ferdinand Eisen
Babette Eisen

Early life

Theodore Augustus Eisen was born on July 10, 1852 in Cincinnati, Ohio.[1][2] His father, Augustus Ferdinand Eisen (1824-1870), was a Swedish-born immigrant to the United States.[2] His mother, Babette Eisen, was a Prussian-born immigrant.[2] After living in Ohio, they settled in San Francisco, California, where Theodore grew up.[2]

Career

Eisen became an architect in Los Angeles, California in 1887.[1] He opened a practice with Sumner Hunt in 1895.[3] They designed mansions near Chester Place.[3] In 1892, they designed the Froebel Institute, later known as Casa de Rosas.[3] They also designed several mansions on West Adams Boulevard in the Craftsman and Tudor Revival architectural styles.[3] They planned design the Posey House for Sara Posey and her husband, Oliver Posey, a mining businessman, with touches of Gothic Revival, Moorish Revival and Spanish Revival styles.[3] However, as the Poseys's wealth declined, the project was shelved.[3] Instead, St Vincent's Church was built two decades later, thanks to a gift from the Doheny family.[3]

Works
J. W. Robinson's store, 1895-1915, 239 S. Broadway. Demolished.
  • 1895, J. W. Robinson's Boston Dry Goods Store (forerunner of a large regional department store chain), 239 S. Broadway (Los Angeles),[4][5] and its annex at its back facing Hill Street, opened in 1908.[6]
  • From 1895 to 1910, Eisen designed the "El Alisal", also known as the Lummis House, for Charles F. Lummis.[7] It is located at 200 East Avenue 43.[7]
  • In 1917, he designed the Casa de Adobe located at 4603 North Figueroa Street, an adobe hacienda.[7]

Eisen was a member of the American Institute of Architects and the Sunset Club in Los Angeles.[1]

Personal life and death

Eisen married Annie Bennett (1858-1932), an Australian-born immigrant to the United States.[2] They married in San Francisco, California.[2] They were Episcopalians.[2] They had two son: Percy A. Eisen, who became a renowned architect in Los Angeles; and Dr. Edward George Eisen.[2]

Eisen died on March 14, 1924 in Los Angeles, California.[1]

References
  1. Theodore (Augustus) Eisen] at archINFORM
  2. Pacific Coast Architecture Databse: Theodore Eisen
  3. Mary Ann Bonino, The Doheny Mansion: A Biography of a Home, 2008, pp. 103-106
  4. "The Boston Dry Goods Store". Los Angeles Times. 1 January 1895. p. 29. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  5. "The New Boston Store:Los Angeles' Finest Commercial Structure Is Complete". Los Angeles Herald. 4 October 1895. p. 5.
  6. "Advertisement for J. W. Robinson Company Boston Dry Goods Store". Los Angeles Evening Post-Record. September 30, 1908.
  7. Robert Winter, An Architectural Guide to Los Angeles, Gibbs Smith, 2009, p. 301
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